These were the best beef short ribs yet. Dry brined them for about 15 hours, then some wagyu beef tallow as a binder for some flake salt, in the Ninja Woodfire until 202 internal temp (took about 3 hours), rested for an hour and served alongside 4 eggs cooked in the leftover tallow.
Got to eat with the Valkyrie, since she’s WFH at the moment. She’s used to me running the ribs and eggs protocol when I have a day off. She saw my plate and said “I’m not judging at all, I’m just asking: WHERE do you get those?”
Semi-related, but I’m a little disappointed in my experiment with MSG. I don’t really taste anything unique when I use it. I’m trying to be liberal with the dosage, but so far salt seems to still be the winning seasoning.
FWIW, I’ve found very similar experiences. Doc would hear something and essentially go “well that sucks. Anyway” while my physio would immediately make a plan of action. Annoying my primary didn’t take it as seriously, but I think part of that is due to the fact they know the physio is the one handling the issue anyway.
I didn’t know which part to quote without hitting all of it, but wanted to throw in some thoughts.
I think Carbs, without question, ARE the best fuel source for athletes. This is pretty clear looking at almost ANY serious athletes diet. There are exceptions, but I’d consider those to be the exceptions that prove the rule, simply because they are notably that they perform at a certain level in spite of the abnormal fueling protocol.
HOWEVER, carbs being the ideal fuel for athletic performance DOESNT mean carbs are the ideal fuel for the Everyman. (Obviously all of this is IMO, there are thousands of people with vastly more qualified opinions). If you are putting your body through the absolute limits of human capability on a routine basis, you need the IDEAL food source to do so. However, if you spend 8 hours a day at work sitting on your rear, another hour in the car diving to and from said work, and don’t even mention how many other hours watching Netflix, playing Xbox, or whatever the hell else people do, maybe you don’t NEED to maximum fueling capabilities. If your body’s an engine, and you’re filling the gas tank, why are you throwing in 40 gallons of premium fuel, when you only driving 20 miles a day? That excess is going somewhere. (In my head I’m now jsut picturing someone at the pump filling up with gasoline as gas pours out from the obviously full car.)
Also worthwhile mentioning that the extremes of any athletic endeavor aren’t really great for you. Deadlifting 500lbs probably lowers your risk of all cause mortality. Deadlifting 1000 almost certainly raises it. Running a 5k a few times of week will probably get you a few years more longevity, running multiple marathons a week will certainly get you knee replacement surgery by 60. Just because a fuel is the IDEAL for athletes, doesn’t necessitate that for general health and wellbeing, it is the wise choice.
(The irony is not lost on me that I type this up as my wife is making lobster Mac and Cheese for a birthday meal lol)
@s.gentz Thanks dude! Tomorrow is the capstone with a night out at the Brazilian steakhouse, then back to more pedestrian fair, haha.
@atlas13 Regarding the doc, this one was particularly frustrating because he didn’t even wanna send me to PT at first. Just Vitamin M. I kept pushing the issue, but he thought PT wasn’t going to do anything because I just had a case of “being 40”. I always wanna say “Doc, I respect you went to med school and practiced for so many years to know as much as you do about medicine, but I’ve lived in my body for 40 years to know how it works, and this isn’t just age” But, thankfully, I’ve been jerked around by this particular brand of medicine before to know how to be my own advocate.
Regarding the discussion on carbs, you identified the key thing there. We conflate athleticism with health, when, in truth, they tend to exist on opposite ends of the curve, at least when at their peaks. To the point that, with carbs being an ideal fuel for peak athletic performance, we’re observing instances of peak, elite athletes reporting pre-diabetic numbers or full blown diabetes. The constant hammering of carbs over and over again with the spiking of insulin and blood sugar is taking it’s toll, and then we see those in the bodybuilding world that found the “solution” of just using insulin, which, of course, is causing other issues.
Which perhaps lends even more credit to the idea of the toxicity of the macronutrient and what makes it an ideal fuel for athleticism in turn. Body is trying to burn it FAST. Used appropriately, it does it’s just, but as you noted, we have desk jockeys that eat a breakfast that would make more sense for an ultramarathoner. I remember one of my co-workers, early 60s, brought over some energy balls his wife made him. Made of peanut butter, oatmeal, honey and nuts. All good things found in nature, all SUPER dense with energy. It was 1000, this guy wasn’t going to be doing an exercise that day…why did he need all that energy? Haha.
Finished out the feasting holiday by painlessly fasting until 1630 today (just a cup of black coffee at 0900) and then indulging myself for 50 minutes at our new favorite Brazilian steakhouse. Made sure to pile up the brisket, beef rib, and lamb whenever it came by. I’ll see if I have breakfast tomorrow after my deadlift workout.
Got in a 3+ mile walk with the weighted vest earlier in the day, and carried a 213.5lb keg. No weigh in this morning: we slept until 0700. The puppy seems to have stuff figured out.
Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel superset
3x15x360/3x10
Chins between sets
Notes:
Situation: Good night of sleep (we’ve finally figured out the puppy: we’re letting it share a crate with the other puppy, and that has pacified it significantly. No more 0200 wake ups) HOWEVER still spent the first part of the night with a stomach quite full of Brazilian BBQ. I was not quite “uncomfortably full”, but still very much “heavy digestion” mode, and, in turn, I’m feeling a little fatigued today. Alongside that, yesterday my hips were really aching when I stood for prolonged periods of time: the kind of pain I used to feel before I started Tactical Barbell. I’m feeling it a bit again post training, and I’m wearing compression shorts to help, but that is one of those signs of the beginning of the end. My elbows are also starting to ache again. The hips, I’m curious if sleeping on the floor for a few nights is the issue, or the sandbag workout, OR all the hip flexor stretching I’m doing as part of my PT. I’ll have to keep an eye on it. The elbows are a combination of low bar squats and sandbag work: I’m always stupid and do BOTH of those things at the same time. Need to get a little smarter.
So all this said, my belt fit exceptionally tight today and I thought my deadlifts were going to be pretty awesome, but holy f*ck did they take a lot out of me. You can see the exhaustion and pain in the video. Once again: working miracles in that garage every single time I break it off the mats. I’m thinking next cycle will be time to reset the weight and try to beat some previous PRs. But I still got it done somehow someway. I do wonder if it would have been better without the aching hips. I still contemplate using my Spud break-in briefs, because they’re honestly pretty awesome. Biggest issue is the bar catches on them, which is why I wear the sweat pants to bypass my Cerberus shorts.
Felt the elbows in the curls and the ab wheel, but the dips felt awesome, and I’m pleased with how I’m progressing on that.
Carried a 213.5lb keg yesterday. Weighed 84.4kg this morning. I’m fasting through breakfast. Not out of martyrdom, not to punish myself for overeating at dinner yesterday: because I’m flat out not hungry. I’m still burping Brazilian BBQ, and it tastes more of blood than of meat due to what I imagine is an incredibly heavy iron content. I genuinely don’t want to think about food, and making my kid’s breakfast this morning made me slightly nauseous. Which I’d say, all-in-all, means I’m doing this whole “eat to gain” thing right. I’ve really been digging all the experiments with eating schedules, and, in truth, were it not for the family time aspect of it, I’d skip either breakfast or dinner and just do 1 meal a day. The trick is: you have to be capable of really putting it away at that one meal to pull it off. Which, as the Valkyrie remarked last night “I genuinely don’t know where you put that much food”
We have Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s our 1 class of the week, due to schedule nuttiness. It’s Wildcard cardio night, so should get some manner of activity.
Got the results of my X-ray back. Minor signs of arthritis in the knee, but nothing warranting PRP. I SHOULD be happy that I’m not as broken as I thought, but I liked the idea of some extra treatment. Next step would be to get an MRI to confirm a torn meniscus, but that’ll take some doing. In the interim, the PT is giving me relief. I’ll look into the celebrex I was prescribed, or the tumeric I was recommended, but I’d prefer neither.
The numbering of the workouts is off for this week, as I’m not really sure what to consider yesterday to be.
As noted, just 1 meal today. Finally felt a little hunger at the 24 hour fasted mark. Went with 15oz of beef rib fingers air fried with wagyu beef tallow and MSG, smoked herring, 3 whole eggs and 5 whites. I went stupid heavy on the MSG and decided it just doesn’t impress me, but this was still a hearty meal.
I worked out for years with a torn meniscus. Finally got it fixed. Super fast recovery. I did require some cortisone shots post surgery, once or twice to help
with inflammation.
@shaneinga That’s definitely how my left knee’s meniscus went. Now, granted, I was recovering from ACL reconstruction as well, but they just trimmed out the meniscus and it’s been fine ever since. I’d hope for something similar in the right knee, if it comes down to that. If I have to get some downtime in training, I may finally get that tattoo I’ve been putting off as well, haha. I’m just happy to find out the cartilage is still doing good.
@cantfitinjeans Hell yeah brother. Rib fingers are one of my favorite foods in the world. I rank it above steak. Almost a total 1:1 fat to protein ratio, wonderfully decadent, and incredibly inexpensive. I could eat it every day and be happy, to say nothing of how anabolic it is, haha.
AM WORKOUT (0345 natural wake up)
TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 4
“GO RUCK YOURSELF”
Treadmill walk w/20.4lb tac carrier
Speed: 3.5mph
Incline: 4.5
Distance: 5.25 miles
Time: 90 minutes
Notes:
This was even more painless than last week. First 4 miles just flew by. Valkyrie lubed up the treadmill belt last night (apparently it was loud enough that it was waking her up, so it was more for her benefit than mine) and I’m wondering if it helped make the experience less sucky in general. Also imagine my knee being in a better place helped.
Which, on that note, I’m observing gradual improvement. Still pain, but less so. I’ve had a few drives in the truck where I realized my knee didn’t hurt, which it’s one of those things that you don’t notice until you’re ALWAYS in pain. Other times, the pain is there, but it’s less so. The stretching and foam rolling seem to be helping, and I’m trying to be diligent on the strengthening 2-3x a week as well.
Carried a 215lb keg last night. Moved faster than previous few nights, which is interesting on the day I deadlift. Typically it’s one of my harder workouts.
Tang Soo Do last night was a pure conditioning class. Not a stitch of martial arts done. I actually managed some jumping without knee pain: another victory there.
Weighed 82.5kg this morning. Significant drop-off. Given I did 2 24 hour fasts leading up one big meal on Tuesday, I’m sure it’s impacting things. With my grappling tournament coming up on 7 Dec, it’s good to have some flexibility. I may have to compete up a class.
Breakfast was 15oz of air fried beef rib fingers (sprayed with duck fat), alongside a little leftover keystone beef, 3 whole eggs and 5 whites. Dinner was 20 amylu Italian chicken meatballs, 1 Don Lee Farms chicken breast patty topped with sour cream, 3 whole eggs and 5 whites.
I’m carrying a bit of “blah” coming into these workouts, which I think it honestly just carrying forward fatigue from the weekend/start of the week getting woken up so much. We got to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual last night, but also spent the evening at my kid’s school music program, which absolutely drained my introvert battery and had me exhausted when I got home. Woke up this morning to the alarm and told myself that this workout was going to be the hardest part of my day, so if I got it done now, it’d be over.
It’s been less than a week since starting physical therapy, and the results have already been very positive. I noticed last night that I had no knee pain while walking my dog, whereas typically that was a major source of it. The boxer is still a puppy yet stupidly strong, so she pulls the entire time we walk, and it’s like running downhill the whole time trying to fight her. Every step would be agonizing, but yesterday it just felt like a normal knee. In turn, this morning’s squat workout still triggered SOME knee pain, but not nearly as much as before. I’m not expecting miracles, but I AM appreciating how quick this gradual healing is.
I moved the bar up higher on my traps to reduce elbow/forearm pain, and since my knee is in a healthier state I was able to get away with that. It’s funny how the pieces all connect.
Camera cut out during the transition to the GHRs.
Got in sets of 7 on chins between sets. Started the cycle with 5s. May just continue to gradually progress, if training timeline allows.
Carried a 216lb keg last night, and weighed in at 83.3kg this morning. I SHOULD be heavier, but signing up for that grappling competition has me on the fence. Thankfully, I’m in no rush to gain: I’m in this for the long haul, but this is also just something I have to be aware of. Competition typically drives me to improve myself, but it also hamstrings me when it comes to pushing my bodyweight up, because I’m always right on the cusp of weight classes.
Yesterday was another 2 cup of coffee day. I’m really enjoying coffee again, which is probably something I need to watch out for, but thankfully there is enough research out there that I can validate that 2 cups is perfectly fine and actually PROMOTES health, so let’s hear it for reality sculpting.
Breakfast was 15oz of air fried beef rib fingers, a Don Lee Farm’s chicken breast patty, 3 whole eggs and 5 whites.
Dinner was the hibachi buffet. Loaded up my plate, half beef, half shrimp, and then 4 eggs, alongside a lot of oysters, shrimp, and salmon. Went back for one more plate of shrimp, oysters, salmon, and a few other odds and ends.
Breakfast was 2 omelets with 3 whole eggs, canned chicken breast, beef tallow and a slice of jarlsburg swiss, topped with sour cream, alongside 4 strips of beef bacon and a Teton Waters grassfed polish sausage.
Today was awesome in general. Gonna hit some highlights.
I signed up for a strongman competition. It’s happening 21 Feb. It’s unsanctioned, and I get to compete as a Masters, which means I don’t need to make weight. That, alone, delights me, but for anyone following along, you’ll know what really excites me here
I won’t need to change my training around much to make this work, and I can continue to gain weight and just get strong. This is so clutch.
I also introduced the Valkyrie to some kettlebells and a Day 0 of the armor building formula. Taught her the swing, clean, press, front squat and goblet squat, along with the armor building complex and clean and press. She got 5 rounds of the ABC without an issue and did a full 2-3-5-10 protocol on the presses, and we got it done in 20 minutes. When it was over, she asked “When do I get to do that again?” She had a blast. That’s a huge thing, because often me coaching her just plain doesn’t go well. I get too enthusiastic.
Family meal tonight was pancetta cheeseburger alfredo casserole, with some sourdough fried in ghee alongside a slice of homemade pumpkin cheesecake and 2 of the Valkyrie’s cookies with some raw honey. First carb meal in 2 weeks. Time to keep growing.
